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Sponsored Hot Phuket property deal: Arise Vibe launches limited offer on only four units, now from 2.5m baht
Phuket's property market is full of big names and high prices, but some of the most exciting opportunities are happening just outside the spotlight. That’s where you’ll find Arise Vibe. Set in Si Sunthon, one of Phuket’s fastest-growing areas, this...
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Patong serial snatcher arrested
PHUKET: Police arrested a serial purse snatcher in Patong yesterday, after tracking his whereabouts with CCTV footage. Police apprehended Nissan Islam, 21, as he was driving from Kamala to Patong. “A woman reported that a man on a motorbike snatched her purse and fled while she was walking on Soi Kebsab last week,” said Col Chaiwat Auikam of the Patong…
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Huge haul of illegal fireworks seized in raid
SAMUI: Police seized an illegal stockpile of fireworks estimated to be worth two million baht from a shophouse in Koh Samui this week. Police raided the property on Taweerat Road in the Bo Phut district at 5pm, after a tip off from local officials. Bo Phut Police Lt Denduang Tongsisuk said the owner, named only as Mr Off, had locked…
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Phuket FC pres furious after false reports of club’s bankruptcy
PHUKET: The president of the Phuket Football Club (Phuket FC) is fuming after news reports about the club’s alleged financial troubles went public earlier this month. Reports stated that management owed club players and staff two months in back pay, amounting to more than 1.6 million baht. Reports also stated that electricity services were cut at the team’s headquarters, after…
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Woman upset with daughter jumps down a well
KRABI: Krabi locals yesterday reported a woman jumping into a well behind Ao Leuk Police Station. “Sawat Bootkrajong, 59, reportedly jumped into the five-meter-deep well, due to a domestic dispute involving her daughter’s return to her hometown in Ratchaburi,” said Pornthip Paklang of the Ao Leuk rescue team. Rescue workers spent about 40 minutes negotiating with Ms Sawat, before convincing…
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Boat captains drug tested, face charges
PHUKET: Two boat captains will face reckless driving charges, after a boat collision that killed two tourists and wounded 20 more, officials confirmed today. Phuket police said they are drug testing both captains, and will wait to press charges until they receive the results. Both boat operators blamed heavy rain for the incident. Police identified the dead tourists as Liang…
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Crumbling pillars force closure of Jungceylon shops
PHUKET: Jungceylon CEO Prawit Janyasitikul confirmed today that four concrete pillars were found to be damaged on Monday in the mall’s basement indoor market, the Port Zone. The area was immediately closed off after the discovery on Sunday evening. However, the rest of the shopping mall remains open for business, said Mr Prawit. “The safety of our shoppers and staff…
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Police seize protected species from Hua Hin Zoo
HUA HIN: A police raid at Hua Hin Zoo in Prachuap Khiri Khan province yesterday led to the confiscation of more than 100 animals, The Nation reports. The raid was launched as part of a crackdown on illicit animal trades, after investigations into the Tiger Temple lead to the discovery of animal parts and corpses (story here). The Department of…
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Blinding light at intersection disgruntles locals
PHUKET: Wichit Municipality has asked the advertising company operating an LED billboard at the Central Festival Intersection to dim their sign, after receiving complaints from commuters. Wichit Mayor Kreetha Chotwitpipat said locals have sent in complaints to his office that too much light emanates from the billboard at the Central Festival-Darasamuth intersection, particularly at night. “At this stage, we have…
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Thai, Laos leaders meet in Phuket to combat human trafficking
PHUKET: Thai and Laos officials are currently engaged in talks to discuss solutions to prevent human trafficking between the two countries. Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat addressed participants at the five-day conference being held at Cape Panwa Hotel until tomorrow. “In 2005, our two nations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to prevent human trafficking and help the victims, especially…
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Patong lifeguards revive Russian boy after swimming lesson with dad goes wrong
PHUKET: Patong Beach lifeguards were hailed as heroes yesterday for saving the life of a 5-year-old Russian boy, who nearly drowned while being taught to swim by his father. The incident occurred at the beach area opposite the entrance to Bangla Road. Lifeguard Somprasong Seangchart said the boy’s father ran up the beach carrying his unconscious son to seek help…
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Two dead, 20 injured in speedboat collision [video]
PHUKET: Two tourists were killed and about 20 injured, many of the seriously, when two speed boats loaded with tourists collided near Phi Phi about 12:30pm today. The boats, named Chanakit 856 and Hongfah 20 were carrying 36 and 26 passengers respectively. The bodies of the dead tourists and the injured were ferried back to Phuket’s Rassada pier where emergency…
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Surin Beach reopens tomorrow as Rajabhakti Park
PHUKET: Surin Beach is to be officially reopened as Rajabhakti Park tomorrow, in a ceremony to commemorate the reign of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who ascended the throne on the same date in 1946. Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada has invited Phuketians to dress in yellow and attend the public event at Phuket’s ‘Beach of Honor’, which King Bhumibol visited…
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Patong cafe clash leaves one dead
PHUKET: One man is dead and another wounded after they were attacked outside a karaoke venue in Patong during the early hours of the morning. According to Patong police reports, the fight began in the Mon Can Cafe at 2:30am. “Rachan Banlangsuang, 32, said he was finishing a shift waiting tables at the cafe, when he and the cashier, a…
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“Tiger Temple’ faces possible closure, more criminal investigation
KANCHANABURI: The ‘Tiger Temple’ could be permanently closed if its land use permit from the Agricultural Land Reform Office (ALRO) is revoked, the National Office of Buddhism disclosed yesterday. With the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department (DNP) relocating all tigers from Wat Pa Luangta Bua, better known as the ‘Tiger Temple’, and finding evidence of illegal trading in…
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Russian man found hanged in Patong hotel room
PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of a Russian man who was found hanged by the neck in a room at a Patong hotel yesterday. Hotel staff found Ivan Romankin, 29, at about 5:20pm, hanging from a steel beam. Patong police refused to release the name of the four-storey hotel. They suspect Mr Romankin had been dead for six hours…
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Body of missing Phuket fisherman found in Phang Nga
PHUKET: A Phuket fisherman’s body was found in Phang Nga this morning, after he was reported missing from Mai Khao yesterday. Aroon Singkhala, 63, disappeared during a fishing trip at a mangrove forest at Mai Khao, confirmed Sarit Bootnongsaeng, deputy superintendent of the Tah Chat Chai Police. “He went missing in the morning. When he did not return in the…
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Island View: Phuket’s perennial road-flooding problems during rainy season
PHUKET: With the return of the rains last week, Phuket’s perennial road-flooding problems also made a dramatic comeback. But not on one stretch of highway that has been blighted for over a decade by impassably deep puddles. The junction by the TOT’s main office on Chao Fa West was transformed into a no-go lake with every heavy tropical downpour –…
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DSI looks into more mangrove encroachment cases
PHUKET: Officers from the Department of Special Investigations (DSI) on Friday surveyed and collected information on two plots of land suspected to overlap the mangrove forest at Baan Kuku. The DSI team was joined by officers from the Navy and Rassada Municipality. “Locals claim that the land in Baan Kuku Moo 3 is public land, dating as far back as…
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Airport axe-man charged, gets licence suspended [video]
PHUKET: An axe-wielding taxi driver was arrested hours after a video of him at Phuket International Airport was published on Facebook on Saturday. “The video, uploaded by Woratat Wuttikorn, shows 45-year-old Nuttawut Chidjui waving the axe before putting it back in the vehicle,” confirmed Deputy Superintendent Lt Col Bundit Khaosutham of the Tourist Police Region 5. This rude taxi driver…
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Phuket international school eyed for takeover
PHUKET: The British International School Phuket (BISP) is in talks with global education provider Nord Anglia, which is making a bid to take over the school’s operations. In a letter addressed to parents last week, BIS CEO Apiwat Ourairat stated that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the school and Nord Anglia over the potential lease of…
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Boiler explosion injures two at Krabi palm oil factory
KRABI: Two workers were injured, one of them seriously, when a boiler exploded yesterday at a palm oil refinery in Khao Phanom, Krabi. Police reported that the boiler exploded around midday. Officers arrived to find palm oil spilled throughout the facility. The two injured workers were taken to Khao Phanom Hospital. Ekkachai Sawaddiwong, 21, was released from the hospital yesterday.…
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Sea gypsies plead for DSI help
PHUKET: The Rawai sea gypsy community, involved in an ongoing land dispute with a developer, submitted a letter to a Department of Special Investigations (DSI) team yesterday. A sea gypsy representative, Nirund Yangpan, met with a DSI team in Phuket Town. Mr Nirund reportedly urged the team to prove the legality of a walkway that the sea gypsies use to…
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Strong waves, winds wash up trash on Phi Phi
PHI PHI: Officials are cleaning up piles of trash that washed up on Hat Noppharat Thara Beach in Phi Phi National Park yesterday due to monsoon season rains and strong waves. “The beach is about two kilometers long. Most of the trash is plastic bags and bottles that people do not dispose off properly,” said Pinit Engchuan of Phi Phi…
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Boxing great Muhammad Ali dead at age 74
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Boxing great Muhammad Ali dead at age 74 Phuket Gazette / Reuters US: Former world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, whose record-setting boxing career, unprecedented flair for showmanship, and controversial stands made him one of the best-known figures of the 20th century, died on Friday aged 74,…
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Key sectors to watch out for in the stock market
PHUKET: May to October is often a season of choppy sideways action. The old adage, ‘Sell in May and go away,’ already appears to be holding true as over the last three weeks, US markets and global markets have pulled back from overhead resistance levels on their technical charts. The Nasdaq index in particular is looking bad as tech, semiconductor…
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Rescuers remove mating pythons from pipes
PHUKET: Rescue workers yesterday removed two four-meter long pythons found mating behind a house in Mai Khao. “Locals reported the incident to us about 9:45am. When we arrived, they were hiding in the cement drainpipe behind the house,” said Chokdee Inthaklab of the Mai Khao Administrative Organization (OrBorTor). “The drainpipe is very deep, so we had to pry them out…
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Krabi man grows cash crop in backyard
KRABI: The growing nationwide demand for jasmine has led one man to set up his own backyard cottage industry. Vichan Tongsanay, 40, who works as a deckhand at the Krabi Marine Office, said he earns around 300 baht per day by selling the flowering plant. “I’ve been growing jasmine in the heart of my village for 5-6 months,” Mr Vichan…
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Phuket teens concoct ‘legal high’ using pharmacy drugs
PHUKET: A dangerous new drug mixture known as ‘gas’ is gaining popularity among Phuket teenagers and others in the southern region. The drug – prepared by mixing cough medicine, allergy medicine, pain killers, or muscle relaxants with a soft drink or other mixer – has yet to be declared illegal. Currently, pharmacists are allowed to sell these drugs to walk-in…
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Ministry of Farang Affairs: Waiting 20 minutes for a roti
The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.…
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UN issues statement after more horrors discovered at Tiger Temple
KANCHANABURI: Authorities continue to discover evidence suggesting that the once-popular tourist destination Wat Pa Luangta Maha Bua Yannasampanno, better known as the Tiger Temple, was involved in the sale of exotic animal parts. Stickers touting ‘Supplementary Food: The Power of Tiger’ and ‘Young Antler Herbs’, were found inside the temple yesterday. One monk was among those arrested, after authorities caught…
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